No to bullying - 'Safety and Security Text and Workbook' launched

A new text and workbook by senior youth empowerment officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Anisa Wilson-Smith, aimed at addressing safety, especially of children, is now available.

Safety and Security Text and Workbook is a companion to Wilson-Smith's first text, Guidance and Counselling Text and Workbook, and addresses several areas critical to the protection of children, especially with the recent incidents of them being murdered. The book is for grades seven and eight.

"The Safety and Security Text and Workbook aims to educate our children about matters relating to their safety and security," the author told The Gleaner recently.

"It speaks to topics such as bullying. It speaks to child abuse. It [also] speaks to conflict resolution, among many other challenging situations, especially the issue of child abuse."

Other topics addressed in the book include cyberbullying, drugs and weapons, drug trafficking, extortion, gambling, gangs and cliques, human rights, human trafficking, sexual misconduct, and truancy.

EDUCATION KEY

"We really can't prevent every single act of violence against our children, but what we can do as a nation and what we need to do is to educate our children, educate parents, educate the society about safety and security issues, especially concerning our most vulnerable, our children," Wilson-Smith pointed out.

"My goal, my vision is that our children, they have the knowledge, they have the skills, they have the know-how as to how to protect themselves so that all our children can really be safe, and they can actually live out their purpose, and they can fulfil and be the best they can be."

Although the book is not on the national school curriculum, several principals in St Ann have seen its value and are using it in an effort to improve safety and security at their institutions.

It is available in bookstores and will be available online soon.